Accessibility and Digital Content Creation

Everyone benefits from accessible design of digital materials

Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, said this about accessible design's benefits for all back in 2001:

Accessible design is good design - it benefits people who don't have disabilities as well as people who do. Accessibility is all about removing barriers and providing the benefits of technology for everyone

WCAG 2 at a Glance

WCAG = Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Consider the following four principles when creating accessible digital content. "POUR" gives a quick overview of WCAG 2 guidelines. (The following is taken directly from "WCAG 2 at a Glance" from the W3C).

You can go deeper into any of these points by visiting the WCAG 2 Guidelines.

Perceivable

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.
• Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia.
• Create content that can be presented in different ways, including by assistive technologies, without losing meaning.
• Make it easier for users to see and hear content.

Operable

• Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
• Give users enough time to read and use content.
• Do not use content that causes seizures or physical reactions.
• Help users navigate and find content.
• Make it easier to use inputs other than keyboard.

Understandable

• Make text readable and understandable.
• Make content appear and operate in predictable ways.
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Robust

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools.

Start Small, Start Now

The University of Minnesota's "Accessible U" says: 

"If you're anything like us, you want to get accessibility 'right.' But a perfectionist attitude can be overwhelming and freeze you in your tracks. Accessibility is NOT all or nothing, and it’s simply impossible to make your digital content 100% accessible for 100% of your users."

Luckily, if you can start implementing even one of the concepts you learned today, you'll immediately be making content that's more accessible to users. (NOTE: UMN actually recommends the concepts we talked about today as many of the "core skills" needed to make online content accessible, so you're in good shape!). 

Hone your core accessibility design skills

• Headings and document structure
• Hyperlinks
• Bullets and numbered lists
• Color and contrast
• Image alt-text
• Video captions